Safety first

April 27, 2007

From the Record, Bergen County, N.J. Gov. Jon Corzine has inadvertently become the poster boy for seat belt safety. He may also help to end the fast-lane travel habits of New Jersey governors, now that crisscrossing the state at high speed has been shown to be so dangerous. It's been common knowledge that governors sometimes speed when they're late for an appointment. Now it's common knowledge that the practice can land you in the intensive care unit. That's why several other states prohibit high-speed motorcades for public officials, including Massachusetts, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, California and Washington. So does the U.S. Secret Service. New Jersey should join them. If obeying the speed limit requires the governor to pare down his schedule, so be it. Governors are notoriously late, and some have gone even faster than Corzine's 91 mph. Pennsylvania's Gov. Ed Rendell's official car was clocked at more than 100 mph several times before he promised to slow down. But Corzine's near-fatal accident is the ultimate cautionary tale. It should serve as a reminder the next time a public official is tempted to step on the gas and turn on the emergency lights. Slowing down should be state policy.